Charlie expounded:
>
>She was wondering. Is one hive viable? And she asked, can you keep
>only one hive as a home for them only, without having to remove honey
>and feed them and all that? Just provide a safe haven for a colony and
>as benefit for the garden? I obviously haven't researched much more
>since the original plan was nixed and I though was a done deal.
If you leave them enough honey, the only feeding you need to do is
when they're first getting established. Bees store far more honey
than is needed, which is why we can 'rob' them. The upkeep isn't so
bad, one thing you would have to do is deal with the mites, although
if you can find bees from a good breeder you may not have many
problems with them. We put in Miteaway II in the fall, it's formic
acid, which is a natural byproduct of the hive, that knocked the mites
down and the bees made it well through the winter, building up strong
this spring. It's not a lot of work at all, and the rewards are
precious! Sitting near the hives around sunset on a warm summer night
watching them all stream home is beautiful, they glisten in the
sunlight, and it's amazing how many of them are out and about.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
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